Sunset
by Avinaya La Salle
Summary: The Doctor asks Rose how long she's going to stay with him. - A better look at the scene from the intro of Episode 12 Season 2. One-shot.


**Author's Note:** I hope you'll recognize this scene from the intro of Season 2 Episode 12. The show only gave us a snippet of the scene. This is merely what I imagine happened there. I eventually intend this to be a prequel, but in the meantime, it will simply be a one shot. I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. I'm just using the world and characters for my own evil machinations.

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><p>A soft rhythmic whirring sound broke the stillness of the evening air. As the sound grew louder, a large rectangular blue box began to materialize out of nowhere. Slowly, the box became more pronounced, more solid with each whir, and the words Police Public Call Box became visible in white letters at the top of the box on all four sides. A white light on top pulsed in time with the beat of the strange sound. With a final wheeze of a whir, the box stood concrete on the stone covered ground, and silence returned to the area.<p>

The silence was short lived, however. The door of the blue police box swung open to reveal a tall, lanky man in a brown pinstripe suit and a tan trench coat. With a glance up at the horizon, a slow grin spread across his face. He took a step out of the box and put his hands in his pockets, looking right smug of himself. A young woman's face popped out of the box behind the man, craning to look over his shoulder. A gasp escaped her lips as her eyes took in the sight the man was so keen on showing her.

"What did I tell you?" the man said, stepping to one side. He glanced back at the woman, the grin never leaving his lips. "Best sunset in the universe!"

"I'll say!" the woman whispered breathlessly. She stepped out next to the man, her eyes glued to the landscape ahead. A large red-orange sun dipped below the horizon. Its light filtered brilliant rays through dozens of incredibly tall rock pillars. Water lapped at the bases of the pillars on all sides. The only dry land was where the blue box sat on a shelf of flat gray rocks. Despite the water, the place had a desert feel about it, washed in reds and browns, yellows and oranges. Overhead, creatures that resembled giant manta rays blazed lazy trails across the sky, squawking occasionally.

The two stood side by side, while the woman reveled in the fact that she stood on a foreign planet watching something few, if any, other humans had ever seen before. For nineteen long years, nothing spectacular had ever happened in her life. Actually, if she really thought about it, nothing at all had really happened in her life. That had all changed when she'd met the man beside her. She tore her eyes away from the spectacle before her to steal a glance at him. The Doctor stood looking out over the water, that same smug grin on his lips. The woman smiled in response and returned to watching the glowing orb slip further beyond the horizon.

She wasn't sure how long they had stood there when The Doctor turned to face her. He beamed, clearly pleased to have amazed her so and obviously ready to share even more wondrous sights with her.

"So, Rose," The Doctor said, clapping his hands as he got down to business, "where to next?" Rose opened her mouth to answer, but he continued without missing a beat. "I know! Felspoon! Marvelous place, Felspoon. Known for its mountains. Can't tell you about them, though; it d ruin the surprise!" He held up a finger as if remembering something suddenly. "The Diamond coral reefs of Kataa Flo Ko. We'll go there next. Then there's this one little planet right on the edge of-"

"Actually, Doctor," Rose interrupted, realizing she wouldn't get a word in otherwise, "I think... I'd like to go home." Her eyes pleaded her request.

The Doctor was instantly sobered, the smile wiped from his face. Pain flashed across his features for an instant, but he composed himself quickly. "Home. Right." He forced a strained smile. _Alone again_, he thought. "You're right. It is safer there. Well, safer than out here. Well, most of the time. Well, unless it's Christma-"

"Doctor," Rose interrupted again, a small smile playing on her lips, "I'm out of clean laundry. Besides, my mum might like a visit, and I want to give her that gift we picked up for her."

The Doctor blinked, momentarily taken aback. "Oh," he squeaked. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Right. I knew that. I was just saying."

Rose laughed. "Yeah. You can't get rid of me that easily, you know." She beamed up at him.

"Well, I suppose I have gotten a bit accustomed to you. I guess you can tag along a while longer," he joked, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He turned back to watch the sun rays dance across the water.

As he lost himself in thought, his smile faded, replaced by a serious expression, one Rose couldn't quite decipher. Rather than speculate, she focused on the beautiful sights in front of them. She didn't want to know what he was thinking about. Not really. She knew The Doctor'd had other companions in the past. She'd even met one of them. It still bothered her, though. How many companions had he traveled with? How long before she became one of his _former_ companions? Would he tire of her and just drop her home one day, never to return? She shook her head, partly to clear her disturbing thoughts, partly in answer to her last question. No, she wouldn't become a former companion so easily.

The Doctor turned to her again, a pensive look on his face. "How long are you gonna stay with me?"

He'd asked the very question she'd been contemplating, but the way he asked it gave her hope that the decision would be hers and hers alone, hope that he wanted her to stay. That hope put a smile on her face. She knew without a doubt what her answer would be, given the choice.

"Forever."

His lips curled up to match her grin, and he turned back toward the sunset, satisfied.

A few more silent moments passed as both lapsed back into thought. This time, however, the smiles on each of their faces remained in place, the serious thoughts of before forgotten with that simple exchange.

"Right," The Doctor started, breaking from his thoughts, "let's get you home to your mum." With a flourish, he turned on his heel and crooked his arm. "Shall we?" he asked over his shoulder.

Grinning ear to ear, Rose slipped her arm into his. "Yeah."

Together, they walked back to the TARDIS, ready for their next adventure.

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><p><strong>Ending Note: <strong>Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you liked it.

**Edit:** Thank you for the review! For the record, I watched this little snippet more than 10 times, trying to get the imagery right. Believe it or not, The Doctor says "gonna".


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